Quenching hot liquids



Oct. 17, 1961 J. J. FOOTE ET AL 3,004,406

QUENCI-IING HOT LIQUIDS Filed May 2, 1958 v PITCH WATER INVENTORS -.J.J. FOO'TE J.L. MUSTARD E.E. RANKIN 3,004,406 QUENCHING HOT LIQUIDS Jerry J. Foote, Sweeny, and Jack L. Mustard and Eugene E. Rankin, Phillips, Tera, assignors to Philiips Petro= lcurn Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 2, 1958, Ser. No. 732,604 Claims. (Cl. 62-373) This invention relates to apparatus and a method for quench cooling hot liquids. In one aspect it relates to an apparatus for quenching a hot liquid to a temperature below its autoignition temperature. In another aspect it relates to an apparatus and a method for water quenching hot pitch or a reduced asphalt from a temperature above its autoignition temperature to a temperature therebelow prior to or during dispensing of the hot pitch to open storage.

By the term pitch or reduced asphalt as used throughout this specification and claims is meant a pitchlike or asphaltlike material resulting from the reduction of crude oil, cracking still bottoms or like synthetic materials to produce asphalt or pitchlike residual materials.

In the final reduction of crude oil by vacuum distillation, pitch or reduced asphalt is produced. In the past this highly reduced pitch or asphaltic material, because of its general nature, has many times been stored in open earthen storage pits or concrete vats. Such material is not ordinarily stored in tanks because when cooled, the material is solid and obviously cannot be transferred by pumping. The residual pitch material resulting from vacuum distillation operations is at a temperature such that upon exposure to air the pitch frequently ignites, particularly if the pitch contains a small amount of gasoil boiling range hydrocarbons. Thus, transferring this highly heated material to an open storage container presents a hazard as the hot material leaves the end of a pipe and is exposed to the atmosphere. This pitch material frequently is transferred to storage at a temperature of about 700 F. If the pitch has been sufliciently reduced, that is, vacuum distilled to such an extent as to be free from gas-oil boiling range hydrocarbons, autoignition usually does not occur. However, when even small quantities of gas-oil boiling range hydrocarbons remain in the distillation residue, autoignition usually occurs as the hot pitch flows from the end of a transfer pipe to the storage vat. The burning gas-oil vapors then set fire to the hot pitch. Such a condition obviously is not desired. We have devised a flash arrester or quenching apparatus for cooling such hot pitch to temperatures safely below their autoignition temperature so that the hot pitch can be safely passed to open storage without danger of flashing. We use water as the cooling medium. However, by using our particular apparatus a minimum amount of water is required such that there is little or no excess water to accumulate with the pitch in the storage container. In case the pitch is stored within an earthen dike, water in the pitch obviously is not desired because of the possibility of weakening the dike.

An object of this invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for quenching hot pitch to temperatures below its autoignition temperatures.

Another object of this invention is to provide relatively simple and inexpensive apparatus and a method for quenching hot pitch to temperatures below autoignition temperatures.

Still other objects and advantages will be realized upon reading the following description which, taken with the attached drawing, forms a part of this specification.

FIGURE 1 illustrates diagrammatically one form of apparatus for carrying out our invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

Patented Oct. 17, 1961 Our invention comprises, specifically, a liquid material quench apparatus comprising, in combination, a tubular shell open at one end, an opening in the other end of said shell, a tubular member, one end portion of said tubular member being fixed to the wall of said opening with the major portion of said tubular member being exterior of said shell, a first conduit communicating with the other end portion of said tubular member, a spray nozzle in said tubular shell, said spray nozzle being supported by said tubular member and disposed to direct spray toward the open end of said shell, a second conduit communicating with said spray nozzle, and said tubular shell, tubular member and spray nozzle being disposed along a common axis.

The method of our invention comprises quenching a hot liquid pitch by a method comprising forming an envelope of said hot liquid pitch, and spraying cooling water from within said envelope outward therethrough thereby cooling the pitch.

Referring now to the drawing, reference numeral it identifies a short tubular member having a diameter somewhat less than its length. One end of this tubular member '11 is closed by a plate 12 forming, in general, a tubular shell with one end open. Weld 1 3 is illus trated as being a means for attaching plate 12 to tubular member 11. An opening is provided in plate '12 into which a small section of pipe 14 is placed. Pipe 14 is rigidly attached to plate 12 by weld 34. Pipe 14 is shown as extending through plate 12 a short distance but it is not necessary that pipe 14 extend within the tubular member .11. All that is required is that pipe 14 be firmly attached to plate 12. A plate 15 closes the opposite end of pipe 14. Plate 15 is attached to pipe 14 by weld 16. A conduit or pipe 17 extends into an opening in plate 15 and is held to the plate by weld 22, as shown. Pipe 17 at its other end is provided with a flange -18 for attaching to a flange 21 of pipe 29, pipe 29 communicating with a source of pitch to be cooled. Flange 18 is illustrated as being firmly attached to pipe 17 by a weld 19. A spray nozzle 28 is joined to a pipe nipple 26 by a coupling 27. Nipple as is threaded into an L 25. A pipe 23, provided with a valve 24, extends through an opening in the side Wall of pipe 14 and is threaded into the other end of L 25. Pipe 23 is welded to pipe 14 at 36a.

Prior to assembling these inner pieces of apparatus in the pipe 14 and tubular member 11, a ring 29 is welded at 32. to the nipple 26. The outer diameter of ring 29 is somewhat smaller than the inner diameter of pipe 14 so as to provide an annulus 37 through which the hot pitch flows prior to the actual quenching or cooling operation. or more lugs 30 which are welded to ring 29 at 38. The opposite ends of these lugs are welded at 33 to the inner wall of pipe 14. While we have shown in FIGURE 2 four of these lugs 3%, it is not essential that four lugs be used because two, three or more than four, or, in other words, any suitable number of lugs can be used providing that the actual spray apparatus, that is, nipple 2-5 carrying coupling 27 and spray nozzle 28, is held firmly in placeso as not to vibrate during operation of the apparatus. Valve 24 is provided for regulation of the rate of flow of quenching Water.

In one example we have made such a quenching appa-.

disclose herein pipe sections 11, 14, and 17 as being of stainless steel and plates 12 and 15 of ordinary carbon steel, the use of these particular materialsis not essen- This ring 29 is held firmly in place by one :3 tial. Theselectionofmaterials of construction is based on the corrosive nature of the materials being processed, their temperature, etc. The'materials ordinarily used are generally selected fromuamong those commercially J available. Asphalt ortpitchlikeunaterialsiare ordinarily not particularly corrosive chemically. Themain pointof our invention involving .selectionofimaterial is that such a. material should .be used in construction of the apparatus that oxidation .or corrosion is not excessive because of the high temperature of thematerial being treated.

In the operation. of :our'apparatus We provide the annulus .37 intermediatering 129 and the walls of the pipe section 14st: that.the ipitch .beingiquenched is formed into anenvelope. orhollow cylinder. as it passes the plate 29 into the quench section of the apparatus. The envelope or..hollow cylinder of .hot'pitch then flows downward around the spray nozzle v.28, and, With the water being sprayed. at ahigh velocity through this envelope of hot pitch, the pitchis rapidly .cooled. Substantially all of the water is vaporized during this spraying operation and therapid cooling is due largely to the latent heat of vaporization of the Water. The steam thus produced and the quenched :pitchfiow'downward and out of opening 35 at the .lower .endlof the tubular member 11 into a storage pit; or other container .in which the pitch is to be stored. By regulating the rate of flow of Water through the. spraynozzle in relation'to the rate of flow and temperature ofthepitch, we are able to control the quench temperature ofthe pitch to" temperatures well below autoignition temperatures.

..'.In one instance, weluse'd a "spray nozzle manufactured by.Bete Fog Nozzle Inc. This-particular spray nozzle provided Jfullcone -ffog'with the angle of spray being aboutlZO". Thisspray'nozzle at, for example, 10 pounds water pressure required'three-gallons of water per minute to provide a full andefiectivespray. At 20 pounds pressure 4.6 gallonslofwater' per minute were required, while atprogressively higher water pressures larger volumes of water are used. As an example of a' larger volume of Water, 9.5 gallons of water pass through the nozzle at 100 pounds per square inch pressure iniproviding the full cone spray fogfor optimum cooling.

When usingxthe above-mentioned full cone fog type spray nozzle with'the herein disclosed quench apparatus fifty barrels pitch was quenched from about 560 F. to about 420 F. The water flow rate was 5 gallons per minute at a pressure of about 160 pounds per square inch. The water temperature was about 70 F. The final quench temperatureof 420 F. Was well below the flashing or autoigniblon temperature of the pitch and autoignition did not occur.

'The tubular member ll-directs the spray and the hot pitch downward toward thecontainer into which the pitch is passed so that excessive contacting of the pitch and air will not occur. By directing these materials downward there is formed substantially an envelope of steam surrounding the downward flowing pitch and this envelope of steam also assists in preventing excessive contact of atmospheric oxygen with the hot'pitch.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, various modifications of this invention can be made, or followed, in the light of this foregoing disclosure and discussion, without departingfrom the spirit or scope thereof.

" We claim:

1. A liquid material "quench apparatus comprising, in combination, an inverted cuplike shell, the closed end of said shell having an opening, a tubular member, one end portion of said tubular member extending through said opening into said shell and being fixed fluid-tight to said end with the major portion of said tubular member being exterior of said shell, a first conduit communicating with the other end portionof said'tubular member, a spray nozzle'having an inlet and a spray outlet mounted in said cuplikeshell, said spray nozzle being positioned to direct spray toward the open endof said shell, a second' .conduitoommunicating with the inlet of said spray nozzle,

and said cuplike shell, tubular member, first conduit and spray nozzle being disposed along a common axis.

2. A liquid material quench apparatus comprising, in combination, a tubular shell having one end closed and the other end opengtheclosed end of said shellhaving an .opening, a tubular member, one end portion of said tubular member extending through said opening into said shell and beingEfiXediluid-tight to said end with the major portion of said tubular member being exterior of said shell, a first conduit exterior of said shell and tubular member communicating with the other end portion of said tubular member, a spray nozzle having an inlet and a spray outlet mounted in said tubular shell, said spray nozzlebeing positioned to direct spray toward the open end of said shell, and a second conduit communicating with the inlet of said spray nozzle.

3. A liquidmaterial quench apparatus.comprisingyin combination, a tubular'shell having one end closed by a piate bonded rigidly thereto and the other end open, said plate having an opening, a tubular member, one end portion of said tubular member extending through said opening into said shell and being fixed fluid-tight to said plate, a first. conduit-exterior of said shell and said tubular member communicating with the other end portion of said tubular member, a spray nozzle having an inlet and a spray outlet mounted in said tubular shell, said sprayznozzle being supported by said tubular member and being positioned to direct spray toward the open end of said vsh'ell,'a second conduit communicating with the inlet of said spraynozzle, and said tubular shell, said plate, said tubular member and said-spray'nozzle being disposed'along a common axis.

4. A liquldl'material quench apparatus comprisingyin combination, a shell of circular cross section open at oneend, a plate covering fluid-tight the other end of said shell, -.said plate having an opening, a tubular member of circular cross section'extending through said opening into said shell and being attached fluid-tight to said'plate, said tubular member being adapted to pass liquid in substantiallystreamlined flow throughout its length, a first conduit communicating'with said tubular member exterior of said shell, a spray nozzle, said spray nozzle being supported by said tubular member and being disposed to direct spray toward the open end of said shell, a second conduit communicating with said spray nozzle for passage of liquid thereto to be sprayed, and said shell, said tubularmember, said plate and said spray nozzle being disposed along a common axis.

5. -A liquid-materialquench apparatus comprising, in combination, an inverted cuplike shellythe closed end Ofsaid'shell-haVing-an opening, a tubular member, one end portionof said tubular member extending through said opening intosaid shell and being fixed fluid-tight to said end with'the major portion of said tubular member being exterior .ofsaid shell, a first conduit communicating with the other end portion of said tubular member, a spray nozzle having an inlet and a spray outlet mounted in said cuplike shell and being disposedto direct spray toward the open 'end of said shell, aseparate conduit section operatively attached to said spraynozzle for passage of liquid tobevsprayed, asupport lug fixedto the inner wall of said tubular memberand .to said conduit. section, a secondconduit communicating with said conduit section for .passage. ofliquid to .besprayed, and said shell, tubular. member, conduit section andspray nozzle being disposed along a common axis.

6. A liquid material quench apparatus-comprising,;;in combination, .an inverted. cuplikeshell, the closed end of said shell having anopening, a tubular member, one end portion of'said tubularmember extending at least to said opening and being fixed fluid-tight to said end, a first conduit communicating with the other end portion of said tubular member, a spray nozzle mounted in said cuplike shell and being disposed to chrect spray toward the open end of said shell, a separate conduit section operatively attached to said spray nozzle for passage of liquid to be sprayed, a support lug fixed to the inner wall of said tubular member and to said conduit section, a second conduit extending through the wall of said tubular member and operatively communicating with said conduit section, said shell, tubular member, conduit section and spray nozzle being disposed along a common axis.

7. A liquid material quench apparatus comprising, in combination, an inverted cuplike shell, the closed end of said shell having an opening, a tubular member, one end portion of said tubular member extending through said opening into said shell and being fixed fluid-tight to said end with the major portion of said tubular member being exterior of said shell, a first conduit communicating with the other end portion of said tubular member, a spray nozzle having an inlet and a spray outlet in said cuplike shell disposed to emit spray through said spray outlet, a conduit section operatively fixed to the inlet of said spray nozzle, a ring fixed around the outer surface of said conduit section, said ring having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of said tubular member thereby providing an annulus intermediate the ring and inner surface of said tubular member, a support lug fixed to the inner surface of said tubular member and to said ring, a second conduit extending through the wall of said tubular member and operatively communicating with said conduit section, said shell, tubular member, conduit section and nozzle being disposed along a common axis.

8. A liquid material quench apparatus comprising, in combination, a tubular shell having one end closed and being open at the other end, an opening in the closed end of said shell, a tubular member, said tubular member being exterior of said shell and fixed fluid-tight to said closed end around said opening, a first conduit exterior of said shell communicating with said tubular member, a spray nozzle mounted in said tubular shell, said spray nozzle .being supported by said shell, and being disposed 6 to direct spray toward the open end of said shell and a second conduit attached to said spray nozzle for passage of liquid to be sprayed.

9. A liquid material quench apparatus comprising, in combination, a tubular shell having one end closed and being open at the other end, an opening in the closed end of said shell, a tubular member, said tubular member being exterior of said shell and fixed fluid-tight to said closed end around said opening, a first conduit exterior of said shell and tubular member and communicating with said tubular member, a spray nozzle mounted in said tubular shell, said spray nozzle being supported by said shell and being disposed to direct spray toward the open end of said shell, and a second conduit attached to said spray nozzle for passage of liquid to be sprayed.

10. A liquid material quench apparatus comprising, in combination, a tubular shell having one end closed and being open at the other end, an opening in the closed end of said shell, a tubular member, one end of said tubular member being exterior of said shell and fixed fluid-tight to said closed end around said opening, a first conduit exterior of said shell andtubular member communicating with the other end of said tubular member for passage of material to be quenched, a spray nozzle mounted in said tubular shell, said spray nozzle being supported by said tubular member and being disposed to direct spray toward the open end of said shell, and a second conduit communicating with said spray nozzle for passage of liquid to be sprayed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,974,538 Johnston Sept. 25, 1934 2,062,374 Noel Dec. 1, 1936 2,354,842 Spence Aug. 1, 1944 2,395,483 James Feb. 26, 1946 2,417,301 Hayes Mar. 11, 1947 2,506,317 Rex May 2, 1950 

